It is important to consider tax reporting duties and disclosure requirements of executors and trustees.

When a client dies leaving assets in more than one country, conflict of laws rules (also known as private international law or PIL rules) step in to help determine which country's law should govern succession of the estate.

In Ontario, as in other jurisdictions, powers of attorney for property are crucial tools for individuals who may become incapable of managing their property and financial affairs.

When updating your estate plan, it's important to consider who will be the key decision-makers on death and on incapacity. Understanding these roles can help you prepare better for your future...

When it comes to spousal property division on death within the Canadian context, many different laws govern. Under constitutional law,

Having a power of attorney for property is a document we continually recommend to clients who are in the process of updating their estate plans.

Many individuals take advantage of registered savings plans in Canada. The most commonly known plans are Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs) and Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs).

July 1, 2017 is not only Canada's 150th birthday and a cause for great celebration, which we are eagerly looking forward to.

My blog of July 8, 2025 touched on a few cases where the courts had to step in because beneficiary designations for registered plans weren't drafted or updated properly.

On May 6, 2017, new requirements regarding the disclosure of certain prescribed information on most real property transfers in Ontario came into effect

You've gone through the process of executing your Will(s), Continuing Power of Attorney for Property and Power of Attorney for Personal Care... now what?

Jointly held assets are a popular estate planning tool because of how simple they appear. Adding a child on title to the house seems like a quick way to avoid paying probate taxes...

Today's parents often support their children well past completion of post-secondary education. For example, they might assist with a down payment on a house...

It's been almost three years since our last blog on the European Succession Regulation.

This blog is a nod to all of our clients who think they are appointing us (their lawyer/attorney) as their "attorney" for property.

The Rule Against Perpetuities (the "Rule") is an old and complex legal rule that aims to prevent the delay of vesting of many types of transferred property interests beyond the "Perpetuities Period"...

A complex and challenging area of law is the intersection of trust law and family law. Ontario law, in contrast to many other common law jurisdictions, has given liberal treatment of a discretionary interest in a trust as property which can be subject to equalization under our family law legislation. See our prior blogs on this subject: Discretionary Trusts and Family Law Division: 50% of Zero is Still Zero (September 5, 2024) and Heads Up: Grappling with Family Law’s Treatment of Discretionary Trust Interests (January 6, 2015).

If you take on the role of executor, trustee, or attorney for property, it is important to understand you will be acting as a fiduciary.

Testamentary freedom is one of the hallmarks of Ontario's estate planning regime. It gives individuals, when drafting and executing their wills and estate plans, the ability to distribute their assets in the manner that they see fit.

In Ontario, as in other jurisdictions, powers of attorney for property are crucial tools for individuals who may become incapable of managing their property and financial affairs.